The importance of prioritising staff safety when working in volatile regions: RedR in Sri Lanka

For close to thirty years Sri Lanka has been suffering from a crippling civil war which has required long-term humanitarian attention. The Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2006 and the escalating violence in recent months have put increasing pressure on the humanitarian sector to provide aid to populations affected by disaster. Unfortunately, the role of aid workers in Sri Lanka is more difficult than in most other nations, as it was identified as one of the most dangerous countries for humanitarian workers by the UN Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs in 2006.

Between 2006 and 2007, 44 aid workers were killed and 23 were victims of ‘forced disappearances’. Furthermore, between 2006 and 2008 Sri Lanka saw the fourth highest rate of aid worker attacks in the world. Only Sudan, Afghanistan and Somalia respectively, saw more violence against aid workers. As a result of these realities, humanitarian agencies are slowly coming to recognize that while the protection of civilian communities is a priority, so must be the protection of their own staff members. The need for a more widespread knowledge of Staff Safety and Security Management, particularly in the North East of Sri Lanka, has led the RedR UK/CHA programme to continue to increase its training courses since 2005.

Three past participants of RedR’s Security Training courses, share their experiences:

When Mr. K. J.Croos, the Programme Support Officer and the Security Focal Point for Oxfam GB, began his position he felt that he lacked essential security management knowledge, which he was able to gain through RedR’s training courses. He particularly benefited from the informal and secure atmosphere of training sessions which allowed participants to share their field experiences. Upon finishing the courses, Mr. Croos shared his newfound knowledge with his colleagues and helped to develop an organisational contingency plan for both Vavunivya and Mannar Districts, two of the most volatile regions of the country. Further, in collaboration with a group of aid agencies, he developed a set of security guidelines for other agencies to adopt. However, Mr. Croos voiced his concern that many national NGOs have often failed to implement these new guidelines as a result of staff safety and security continuing to be a low priority for many agencies, highlighting the need for increased awareness about the possible dangers of engaging in humanitarian work in volatile regions.

Similarly, Mr. Ganeshan, a Civil Engineer working with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), who attended RedR’s Security Management course in 2006 speaks of the slow, but steadily growing recognition of these types of training opportunities. “RedR’s strategy of building local capacities is timely and efficient. We rarely had such opportunities in the past”. When Mr. Ganeshan joined the NRC, there was considerably less emphasis on personal safety and security management. However, after one of their national staff was killed in Vavuniya district in 2006, the organisation established staff safety and security as a priority. With RedR’s support, NRC was able to address this knowledge gap through the learning and support programmes. Staff in Vavuniya were provided with all three of RedR’s Sri Lankan security courses: Personal Safety, Security for Drivers and Security Management.

Mr. Ganeshan noted that after his organisation participated in the trainings, staff awareness of security concerns improved dramatically. He found Security for Drivers to be particularly empowering. “We need to appreciate RedR for offering such capacity building programmes specifically for drivers who lack essential knowledge on handling security issues despite being the frontline person in direct contact with military”. Finally, he encouraged humanitarian agencies to continue to make staff security training a priority for “despite the growing security concerns in the district, many organisations continue to lack sufficient knowledge, and pay less attention to security management issues”.

The recognition that Staff Safety and Security training is a necessity in Sri Lanka is exemplified by Mr. Abdul Manaf, the Director of SHADE and the Secretary of the NGO Consortium of Vavuniya. Mr. Manaf attended the Security Management Workshop in 2006 and strongly encouraged his staff to also take RedR’s courses; two of whom attended the Personal Safety Training course, while a third staff member attended the Drivers’ Safety Training course.

Mr. Manaf explains his decision to sign-up for the RedR course: “despite the high security concerns, many humanitarian workers travel long distances to address the emergency needs within and outside Vavuniya district. Because of this, the need for adequate knowledge of Security Management, especially among the National NGOs and national staff is essential”. After the completion of RedR’s training, Mr. Manaf and his staff were able to successfully design contextualized security guidelines for SHADE.

While going on to share their knowledge with colleagues and implementing organisational guidelines, all three past participants nevertheless stressed the continued need for security training in the volatile North and East. As the civil conflict continues and the humanitarian crisis grows, so does the danger to agency staff. As such, RedR is continuing to support the humanitarian community by providing essential safety and security skills and knowledge through capacity building programmes to those who need it most.
 

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